5 Tips for Lowering Your Risk for Breast Cancer

Age is one of the non-changeable risk factors for developing breast cancer. As a woman ages, her risk for developing this type of cancer can increase substantially. Therefore, it becomes even more important to make certain lifestyle changes to help minimize your risk as you enter your retirement years.

Here are five important things you need to start doing today to help lower your risk for breast cancer.

#1: Eat a Healthy Diet

Eating a healthy diet as we age is crucial for a number of different reasons, one of them being that it helps women reduce their risks for breast cancer. A healthy diet consists of eating plenty of fruits and vegetables, especially those that are darker in color. Dark colored fruits and vegetables are high in antioxidants, which work as natural cancer-repelling agents.

For protein, older adults should avoid red meat as much as possible and stick with leaner sources like fish or poultry. For dairy, seniors should stick with low-fat varieties for greater cancer prevention.

#2: Exercise Daily

Along with a healthy diet, a senior needs to implement exercise into their daily routine. This needs to be intentional exercise; walking a flight of stairs is great, but it is not actually intentional exercise. Try attending a group exercise session for seniors, taking a daily swim, or going for an extended walk twice a day.

#3: Manage Your Weight

Obesity plays a large role in a woman’s risk level for developing breast cancer, so it is important to keep your weight under control. The good thing is, as long as you follow the first two steps above, you’ll be headed in the right direction.

#4: Avoid Alcohol

Drinking alcohol increases your risk of developing a number of different cancers, one of which is breast cancer. It is also a source of empty calories, and that can cause you to gain weight, which is another risk factor. Cutting out alcohol entirely is recommended, but limiting yourself to one serving of wine a day is acceptable. Any more than that and your risk level will start to rise.

#5: Avoid Hormone Therapy After Menopause

For years women were placed on hormone therapies after going through menopause, but this has been shown to actually increase one’s risk for breast cancer. Therefore, if you are going through menopause, you should avoid being placed on hormone therapy if you want to keep your breast cancer risks to a minimum.

As you can see, living a healthy lifestyle is integral to preventing breast cancer as you age. But, keeping to a healthy regimen can be challenging when you live alone.

At the Davis Community, you can enjoy an engaging and active lifestyle with others your age. From our healthy dining options to our fun activities to our daily exercise programs, we provide everything you need to enjoy optimum health and an outstanding quality of life. Contact Davis Community today at 910-686-7195 to schedule a visit or to learn more about Wilmington NC nursing homes.